The present invention relates to chairs, and more specifically to chairs having an extendable support assembly incorporated within the chair to convert the chair from a seating configuration to a sleeping configuration.
Various types of chairs in which a portion of the chair can recline have been previously designed. These chairs allow an individual sitting in the chair to adjust the position of both the seat and backrest in order to provide a more accommodating seating position for the user of the chair. However, the majority of the designs of these reclining chairs require complex linkages and/or pivoting mechanisms within the chair in order to allow the reclining movement of the chair when desired. The complexity of the inner workings of these mechanisms requires that the assembly for the chairs incorporating them takes a significant period of time. These mechanisms also result in the chairs having a significant increase in overall weight. Further, while such reclining chairs are capable of adjusting the position of an individual sitting on the chair from an upright position to a reclined position, most prior art reclining chairs are not capable of reclining easily to provide a supine resting or sleeping surface for the individual.
Certain prior art chair designs have attempted to overcome these deficiencies for reclining chairs that can be moved from an upright position to a fully-reclined or supine position. One example of such a chair is disclosed in Suskey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,310. In this design, a telescoping extension assembly is formed of opposed pairs of rails connected to a stationary frame of the chair. In order to prevent the rails of the telescoping assembly from extending outwardly from the frame prematurely, or when not desired, the telescoping extension assembly includes a locking assembly formed of a spring-biased, retractable pin and bracket disposed on the rails. When the pin is retracted from within the bracket against the bias of the spring, the rails of the telescoping assembly can be pulled or extended outwardly from the frame. However, when the pin is positioned within the bracket, the assembly is prevented from telescoping so that the chair can be utilized in a conventional manner.
The particular construction of the telescoping chair assembly disclosed in the Suskey et al. ""310 patent, while capable of providing a generally supine surface for an individual when desired, involves certain difficulties when moving the chair from the upright to the supine position. For example, the pin and bracket locking mechanism required for proper operation of the chair can malfunction such that the telescoping assembly cannot be released from or secured in the retracted position. Also, when the assembly is in the extended position, it is necessary to disengage a separate locking mechanism which holds the backrest in an upright position, to enable the backrest to be reclined into a supine position.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a chair that is readily convertible from an upright position to a supine position, and that includes an extension mechanism for a support assembly that does not require a locking mechanism separate from the extension mechanism, and that synchronously moves the backrest into a supine position in coordination with the extension of the support assembly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide seating furniture in the form of a chair that is movable from an upright position to a supine position and that includes a self-locking, extendable support assembly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a chair in which the backrest for the chair automatically moves from an upright position to a supine position as the support assembly is extended from the chair.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a chair in which the extendable support assembly provides a substantially seamless supine support surface when the chair is in the supine position.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a chair in which the extendable support assembly includes a minimum number of moving parts, to simplify construction and operation of the chair and to reduce the overall weight of the chair.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a chair in which the extendable support assembly can be configured to include conventional seat cushions to provide sufficient comfort and support for an individual using the chair in either the upright or supine position.
The present invention is a reclining or convertible chair including an extendable support assembly which allows the chair to be moved from a conventional upright position to a fully-reclined, supine position. The chair includes a base to which the extendable support assembly is mounted. The chair can be moved between the upright and fully-reclined positions by simply moving the extendable support assembly with respect to the base, to place the support assembly in either an extended or a retracted position.
The base has a back panel and a pair of side members, which may be in the form of arm rests, that extend forwardly from opposite sides of the back panel. The extendable support assembly is positioned between the side members and is secured to a bracket connected between the side members. The support assembly includes a backrest pivotally secured to the bracket at one end, and to a movable pedestal at the opposite end. The backrest is constructed of a pair of sections that are pivotably interconnected together. The extendable support assembly is maintained in a retracted position between the side members by a pair of guide rails positioned on opposite sides of the pedestal. Each guide rail includes an angled portion and a notch disposed adjacent a front end of the pedestal. The notch on each guide rail is engageable with one of a pair of rollers positioned on opposite sides of the bracket, in order to maintain the pedestal in a retracted position.
To extend the pedestal and move the chair from an upright to a supine position, the front end of the pedestal is lifted to allow the roller to move out of the notch on each guide rail. The pedestal is then pulled forwardly such that the roller engages the angled portion of the guide rail, which is configured to guide the pedestal and allow the pedestal to move outwardly with respect to the base of the chair and into engagement with a supporting surface such as a floor. Simultaneously, the backrest sections pivot in a downward direction with respect to both the pedestal and the bracket such that the backrest is moved from the upright to the supine position in conjunction with outward movement of the pedestal.
To retract the assembly and move the chair from the supine position to the upright position, the pedestal is simply moved: towards the base of the chair, such that the backrest sections pivot together in an upward direction into the upright position. The pedestal is moved toward the base between the side members such that the rollers are reengaged within the notches on each guide rail.